Cheap CDN- A Boon or Bane

Internet users look forward to an enhanced experience from websites in exchange for investment of their precious time. Instantaneous response from the website, engaging content, and alluring graphics are the key to success. CDN or Content Delivery Network is the best way to deliver a surreal experience to the users. It not only accentuates the performance of the website, but also delivers precise output to the end users. The market has numerous options of CDN, which makes the decision-making process tough for entrepreneurs. To narrow the arena of searching, the characteristics and price of CDN must be considered.

CDN and its importance

In simple words, CDN is the flock of servers, distributed across the globe to offer enhanced services to the clients. It successfully optimizes the bandwidth so the data can be transferred adeptly. When a website is searched, instead of transferring the request to the master server, the nearest server is contacted. These local servers have a copy of the static content from the original web page. This enables the servers to deliver web content to the user in the shortest span of time. CDN might look like an expensive affair initially, but with time, it offers immense benefits which nullify the expense.

Is CDN Necessary in Today’s World Wide Web?

A web page mainly consists of static content which can easily deplete its performance and response rate over a period of time. When this static content is distributed among various CDNs, the efficiency and response time elevates. The response from the CDN located nearest to the geographical location of a client saves ample amount of time. The websites which receive higher traffic find CDN to be the best elucidation with reduced impact on the primary server. This also improvises the bandwidth, slashing the operational cost to a great extent.

Is It Safe to Opt for CDN?

Ranking matters in every field, which helps to achieve desired results.

The tools of CDN make sure a website can be accessed with enhanced speed and performance. This contributes to the algorithm that evaluates the ranking of that site.

Content Delivery Network is the distribution of proxy servers in various locations to offer the end-users an enhanced experience. Text graphics, media files, applications, documents, software, e-commerce, live streaming media, and social networks can be enjoyed thoroughly with CDN.

Irrespective of the geographical location of the master server, the website contents can be availed by countless number of people, simultaneously. This is possible due to cached web pages at various locations of the data centers.

Flash crowd can also be easily handled with the help of CDNs. But is it safe to expose the contents of a web page to numerous sources? This process increases the security of a web page by multiple folds.

The attacks from the DDoS are also easily handled without impacting the performance of the website.

It is also compatible with SSL or Secure Socket Layer that helps establish an encrypted link between a browser and web server.

How to Choose an Appropriate CDN?

Amongst multiple CDN options, it is difficult to select one suitable to you. Hence, it is important to consider various factors that help you identify them better and help make a better choice. The amalgamation of the attributes offered and exact requirements of a particular firm lead to a smart and authentic decision. In search of cheap CDNs, it is best not to take an abrupt decision.

Let us have a look at the factors to consider before making the selection:

Bandwidth requirements– The usage and traffic are the prime factors that contribute to the selection of the bandwidth. Some of the websites need 50GB per month while some demand 50TB per month. The performance of small-scale web pages can be enhanced by upgrading the web hosting services. Dedicated web hosting services can offer the most appropriate solution for these websites. The websites that can receive immense traffic suddenly at the same time should opt for CDN. It ensures the video files, music, images, podcasts, documents, and software downloads are available to the consumers easily. Hence, it is good to evaluate the bandwidth required, before making a decision.

Technology– CDN delivers all the contents through HTTP progressive download. Thus, it is also important to note the compatibility of the technology offered by CDN to enjoy seamless transaction. It also includes true Windows Media Streaming, Windows Media Live, etc.

Network Performance– There are three types of CDN, internet based, Private based, and Peer to Peer. Depending on the demand of the web page the type of CDN should be chosen.

Longevity– The experience of the CDN adds to the services offered. Even the past records should be checked to understand the performance.

Contract– The time period of the contract also plays a major role in the decision-making process. Some offer monthly while some go for yearly contract tenure.

How Important Is the Remuneration of the CDN?

Cost or fees of CDN is an important factor which should be checked after confirming all the other attributes. The costs of the CDNs vary in a huge way, which may lead to the selection of a cheap CDN. Low cost might restrict the facilities that can be easily availed by average cost CDNs. This leads to a faulty first impression making it difficult for the entrepreneurs to catch up with the competitive market. The price depends upon the requirement of the traffic and bandwidth, which should never be compromised with.

Summary

CDN is one of the most important factors to survive in this competitive market and excel among high-performing websites. It handles the traffic with utmost care without allowing any technical glitches or lags. Even the abrupt rise in traffic and simultaneous downloads, from the site, can be handled seamlessly. Therefore, CDN and its tools must be chosen as per the requirement of the site rather the price tag. The initial investment will fetch better results, ensuring that the return is obtained in equal measures.

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Mohd Sohel Ather is an experienced tech content writer and guest blogger . He has worked with some of the leading company and brands to build their online presence. And participate on all high quality blogs like Killing the Breeze, You can follow him on LinkedIn.